Being able to switch between all three weapons (some with high level Actions) at the very beginning of the game already makes Virgil extremely powerful from moment one, but he also has a devastating ranged attack, too. Instead of Dante's legendary Ebony and Ivory pistols, Virgil launches powerful magic swords that materialize from nowhere but he has access to no secondary guns. The swords are slower than the pistols, and so harder to hit moving targets with, but they do an inordinate amount of damage to enemies. The problem is that with some boss encounters you'll not be unable to use the ranged attacks as successful pause and knock back weapon from which a devastating counter offensive can be launched, but that's a small price to pay for the added punch.

Another significant Virgil perk is his demon mode. When the game begins Virgil can already go supernatural on some lesser demon ass (though only for a very brief time), but he does eventually earn a second, more developed demonic form. The lithe first demon resembles Dante's in outward appearance, but the second is something more akin to Nightmare from Soulcalibur, complete with preposterously oversized two-handed great sword.

And finally... There are also six outfits for Virgil.

Mr. Dark and Broody

As you can see, there's a lot of Virgil to enjoy. Already we're liking the new adds and even the idea of him being overpowered from the get go. Remember that to access Virgil, DMC 3 proper or DMC 3: SE needs to be completed at least once. But this does mean the second time through can now begin with a bang. And on one of the reworked or added difficulty settings (Easy, Normal, Hard, Very Hard, Dante Must Die, and Heaven and Hell) the game can now be enjoyed by all types of gamer. The new optional Gold Orb continue system also allows for immediate respawns at point of death, assuming you have the orbs to handle it. So no more total restarts, which is real good.

Other Special Edition bonuses include the option to play Turbo, which is a game experience that's supposed to be 20% faster than normal DMC, though it really doesn't feel supercharged. And then there's the Bloody Palace ripped from DMC 2. This arena mini-game features 10,000 waves of enemies. Yeah. 10,000. Freaking ridiculous, man! You can skip waves in blocks of 100, 10 or 1, but even if you skip a hundred levels after every wave you're still looking at 100 rounds worth of triangle, triangle, triangle. And before you ask, I most certainly did not spend the time necessary to beat the whole thing. I personally got to level 1000 without issue (by skipping ahead in chunks), but I quickly tired of the same backdrop and endless legions of baddies.

In any event, when we consider its price and new includes, DMC 3: SE looks like a solid buy for old fans and new players alike. The powerful additional character offers lasting appeal and the revised difficulty settings and new continue system make the game more accessible. But until we beat all 10,000 of those bloody arena levels, we won't know exactly how good this one is. So please look for a full review of the game later this month when DMC 3: SE ships to retail exclusively for PlayStation 2.